Chemotherapy: the BIG doubts

Hi forum, today we learned that my daughter will have to have chemotherapy. She had a grade 3 lobular cancer, no lymphs attacked, cancer feeding on oestrogen and she had a mastectomy to get rid of it. Her onco type just came back with a score of 38, which means chemotherapy.

She is a celiac and suffers from a rare strain of migraines and cluster headached, low immune system which triggered shingles when she was 30 years old.

She is now 34. When we heard the score we went pale. If normaly chemo looks like a nightmare, in this situation is even more daunting.

Now, we need your help as we need to know:

  • how does food taste and what are the best foods for someone going chemo

  • what happens to finger nails because we heard that they will fall (aaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh)

  • shall I buy buckets for vomiting, will she need creams for any ailment, what kind of preparation shall we make

  • what did you feel that was helpful when you were going through treatment?

she will probably loose her hair and decided to shave it when it begins, so I decided to shave mine as-well when she does it and maintain it shaved until she gets hers back.

And last: give me your list of what was ‘bad’ as I need to prepare myself and keep a straight face to help her without revealing how stupid and useless I am.

Thank you

 

First of all do not assume she will be I’ll. She may not. No foods tasted bad to me. I ate as normal all the way though. I lost no fingernails. I wasn’t sick or even felt sick once. I cold capped so I kept mist of my hair but this isn’t for everyone. I just felt a bit fatigued, especially during the really hot weather so lots of fairly early night, pre 9pm, we’re had.

Apart from that life went on as normal. I went to work, I did the house work, I did gardening, went shopping, washed up, walked the dog. If you assume she will be I’ll and treat her like an invalid it may become a self fulfilling prophecy. I’m sure I was as unaffected as I was because I assumed from the off I’d not really be ill (I’m never ill).